Author: Kim du Toit

Ask Not For Whom The Bell Tolls Etc.

Business, Watermelons

Stephen Moore has an excellent “story of the film so far” about the Net Zero / Green energy / no more cars with engines / unicorn fart-based energy initiative:

The Wall Street Journal reported last week that “clean energy” investment funds are tanking, with some down as much as 70% in recent months. Solar has been one of the worst-performing industry stocks this year.

This collapse is happening right when Exxon and Chevron have engineered a combined $110 billion blockbuster acquisitions to expand oil and gas drilling in the Permian Basin in Texas, one of the biggest oil fields in the world. This year, they both reported their largest profits ever.

They and their investors are looking at the real-world data, not green energy propaganda. In 2023, the world is guzzling oil and gas like never before. Global consumption of fossil fuels was higher in 2022 than at any time in human history, even as the developed countries spend hundreds of billions of dollars trying to stop oil, gas and coal.

As they say:  follow the money.  All the politicians’ wishful thinking won’t change the nature of the world (i.e. reality), as much as they’d like to think it can.

Italians: Never Trust ‘Em

Drive Time

I think it was Richard Hammond who, on the old Top Gear show, pointed out that Ferrari’s technical statistics were often flat-out lies:  “How many horsepower does our new model have?  A million!”

It’s not just their statistics, though.  Try this one on for size:

Legendary Italian car maker Ferrari has no intention of phasing out combustion engines and going fully electric or hybrid anytime soon, promising Sunday to keep making the eight and 12-cylinder engines it has made its trademark at least until the end of the 2030s. (May 2023)

And then there’s this one:

An iconic supercar brand is set to launch its first ever EV, with a new factory already in the works.  The luxury car giant is planning to open a new facility in Italy to produce its new all-electric models.

Who could this be, this “luxury car giant”?

Ferrari boss Benedetto Vigna confirmed that the company was on the right track in developing a new electric car.  (November 2023)

I know, I know:  this isn’t exactly a lie:  Ferrari never said that they’d make only internal combustion engine (ICE) cars… but they sure as hell skated around the issue.

Just as they do with their technical specs.

And of course, they’ll cheat when it comes to the sound their new Duracell cars will make.

Bastardi.

Cenotaph Update

Resistance, Watermelons

Yesterday we learned that “football hooligans” (a.k.a. loyal and decent Brits) are going to stop the Pal terrorsymps from taking over the Remembrance Day memorial.

Now we have this:

Football hooligans alliance supporters warn fans ‘do not come tooled up’ with weapons as they bid to ‘protect’ the Cenotaph from pro-Palestine protest – and sell out coaches for hundreds to head to London.

My thought is precisely the opposite:  by all means bring weapons, because you have to know that the “peaceful” terrorsymps surely will — and the last thing you need is to face some dangerous asshole down with only your fists when he’s carrying a “sign-holder” (club).

No no:  bring weapons yourselves, but do not brandish them or take them out — ever — unless you’re physically attacked.

Then have at it, and may the best thug win.

No doubt someone’s going to have a problem with this, but I don’t care.  Even in Britishland, one should have the proper (and lawful) means of self-defense, e.g. a pair of sap gloves (as worn by the cops, ergo legal), and some kind of head protection (e.g. one of these).  I had both on my last visit to Britishland, but I just never told anyone about them.

I also recommend carrying a sign (suitably provocative) affixed to a pickax handle.

It’s all about freedom of expression, innit?

Unsurprising

Freaks & Loonies, Watermelons

Now I’m not saying I approve of this guy’s solution to an obstruction in the road.

But I do understand it.  I don’t know where ideologues get this idea that they can mess with people’s lives and livelihoods just because The Cause Is Just.  I recall watching these self-righteous tits pulling a similar stunt in Britishland — and stopping an ambulance from carrying an injured person to hospital.

Clearly, to them The Cause is more important than a human life.  So if someone decides that their ability to go about their business without being obstructed, heckled and in some cases attacked is more important than a human life (as Our Hero did in the above article), then the “protesters” have little to protest about when that circumstance includes their lives.

I see that our hot-headed gunman has been arrested and is facing trial.  I bet he had a really good reason to whack a couple of the Smellies I mean Passionate Protesters.  And if he did, and gets released without being charged, no doubt the streets will be filled with hordes of the Perpetually Indignant protesting that.

What a fucking circus (Latin for “round”) we have here.

I think I’ll spend a little time at the range today.  Just because.

Gratuitous Gun Pic: Walther PD380 (.380 ACP)

The Gun Thing

I’m trying to be even-handed about Walther’s new little handgun (Cliff Notes:  “unrivaled ease of use, carefully engineered to ensure an experience like no other, with minimal recoil and an effortless-to-rack slide” — from their blurb.)  And it looks pretty much the same as the usual Plastic Fantastic:

Okay, I can see this gun’s application for people who have a problem with racking a slide — age-related, carpal tunnel etc. — but I have to say that the “PD” (personal defense) is going to be tricky with that underpowered Europellet.  Even if it was developed by John Moses Browning, PBUH.

The PD380 weighs almost nothing (26oz loaded — note to gun manufacturers:  I’m not interested in an unloaded gun’s weight because that ain’t reality).  So that’s also a good thing.

For we the people who care about practical self defense, I’m thinking that maybe this would be a decent backup piece? but I’m unconvinced.

But whatever:  let me not quibble about yet another means of putting bullets into a criminal (you know that’s what “self defense” ultimately means, don’t you?), but I can’t help but think that there might be some better options out there.

Your comments are welcome, as always.